Tampa Man Arrested In Keys, Accused Of Disturbing Flight
KEY WEST (CBSMiami) – A Tampa man who reportedly caused a ruckus on a flight to Key West was taken into custody on Saturday.
The Silver Airways flight crew told Monroe County Sheriff Sgt. Sue Morgan that Richard Calderoni, 50, was asked several times to shut off his electronic equipment and refused, according to the sheriff's office.
He was also reportedly loud and used abusive language.
At one point, he stretched his legs into the aisle blocking the female flight attendant's path, according to the sheriff's office. The flight attendant reportedly told Morgan that Calderoni told her she "must be miserable in her job" and she said when she looked at him he was rubbing his groin area as if he were masturbating.
As Calderoni was handcuffed, passengers on the flight reportedly began cheering. A number of them told the officers they were afraid on the flight because of Calderoni's disruptive behavior.
Calderoni was arrested and charged with disturbing the peace.
The pilot told Morgan he considered turning the flight around, but considered the other passengers and decided to just call ahead for law enforcement, according to the sheriff's office.
